Do your wives ever nag you about how much you spend on trains? No matter how hard I try to hide stuff I buy She still finds out.
No. I would not have married a woman who didn’t understand how important this hobby is to me.
My wife doesn’t nag me per se, but she will needle me in front of friends how much this or that costs, especially a loco or a brass piece. However, in the end she is supportive from a distance, the only thing she likes about trains is riding them so that is a big plus on vacations!
Ricky
Mine is very supportive, I guess after 31 years she has given up. However, she also helps with the layout and is quite adept at making trees, certain scenery pieces, and such.
Bob
Not an issue, she has her trust account and I make no inquiries about her purchases. In return she makes no inquiries about my purchases.
My wife is very supportive of the hobby - especially now that I have started working on some scenery. As far as what I (we?) spend on it… her position, apparently is, “Don’t ask! Don’t tell!”
-Kosmo
Just the other day my wife and I were talking the other day and she said " As long as the bills are paid I don’t care how much money you spend on your trains or any other hobbies" Same goes for me when it comes to what she likes. She doesn’t ask for much and the term high maintenance can never be applied to her. It’s not that were financially independent but life is too short, you have to enjoy it while your here, it’s too precious not to. So if spending a few bucks on trains makes you happy she has no right to deprive you of your happiness.
Same as the above.
I think that trying to ‘hide’ hobby expenditures is a big mistake, especially if the lady has no comparable money sinkhole costly pastime. If you’re up front about what you want and why, she may not agree but at least she’ll give you points for your honesty.
My wife breaks approximately even at the casinos and spends money on golf - her money from her personal account, fed by its own, “Strictly for her,” income stream. I have always been supportive of that. On the other side of the coin, when she was my girlfriend she knew I was a model railroader, so she gave me a brass locomotive kit for my birthday. (Yes, it was possible to buy inexpensive brass locomotive kits in Japan at that time.) That Japanese-style tank loco (of no particular prototype) changed my modeling emphasis away from NYC, never to return to U.S. prototype modeling.
Something must be working. Our next anniversary will be our 49th.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
My wife goes through in three months what it takes me a year to spend on my hobby, except that her expenses are for medications and therapy of the physical kind to keep her healthy, pain-free and mobile. Her hair appointments average something like $60 every two months. I like the arrangement because she is important to me, and she understands that I have to spend a bit to keep myself healthy, too. It just happens to be in the odd locomotive or two per year. [:-^] Thankfully, I can see the end coming because I have limited myself to four main roads, I have the rolling stock (mostly), and now just want a few select engines to fill out the stables for each of the four roads.
-Crandell
Its not that I try to hide it, I make good money, but she is the penny pincher type wants to buy the cheaper stuff, me I like the high perf stuff. and I have to hear HOW MUCH DID THAT COST? I guess opposites attract.
But you actually said ," No matter how hard I try to hide stuff I buy She still finds out" in your first psot.
No wife but my mother sure can get on my nerves about it. She hasn’t gone snooping in the mail for my bank statements but I’m sure that’s only a matter of time.
SHE has HER dolls and i have my trains. after we finished raising and educating the kids and helping out the grandkids, being of sound mind, we are spending it all.
for the poster who mentioned that his wife broke even at the casino, what does she play? the ATM? the only way we ever broke even was to stay home or try to eat $200.00 worth of shrimp on the comp buffet.
grizlump
I have a budget and pretty well stay in it, so its not a problem. After 25 years she knows I’m not going to go wild and buy $500 of engines every week.
My wife thinks I don’t spend enough on my hobbies. She cheers when I buy a locomotive. I’ve been given a few by her at birthdays or Christmas (of course I had to tell her which exact one to order). In general, she spends more than I, more easily, but she stays within the family budget.
Audrey and I have a good arrangement. Because she sells her own paintings and craft items her money is her money. Me? My work money pays the housebills and food etc and my side job then gives me my hobby money. There are no arguments therefore over who spends what and how much and etc------
When my wife mentions my trains, I ask her how much she’s spent on “collectables”. Ususlly shuts her up!![8D]
I’m lucky, my wife enjoys all my hobbies except for slot car racing so when I do buy something new I don’t get asked what it cost but how does it work. I think the most expensive thing I ever bought was the motor for my Trans Am. At a little over 10 grand she kind of looked at me funny but once she heard it run and actually raced the car you couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face. The way I see it is hobbies are suppose to be fun. If you have to worry about the cost or trying to sneak things into the house then it’s not really a hobby anymore.
No.My late wife didn’t complain…In fact once she became involved in the hobby she spent more in the hobby shop then I did. She was one of a kind.
I have also learn I have no time or need for a brawling *** woman…I been a bachelor way to long for that.
Since I’m the frugal one, she never says anything. She has her hobbies and I have mine, but discretionary spending for both of us is after the necessities. Also, I have reached the point where I have more than enough stuff for the current layout and won’t really need more until retirement and the “big” one.
Enjoy
Paul